Nunavut man survives extreme cold by turning fox pelt into pants

It was like a scene out of Leonardo DiCaprio’s extreme survival movie, The Revenant.

Last weekend, 69-year-old Jimmy Iqaluq was hunting for polar bears in the Belcher Islands when he broke through the ice, reports the CBC.

The Nunavummiuq was forced to abandon his snowmobile, but was able to pull himself out of the water, climbing onto a nearby island.

Stranded, Iqaluq had to figure out how to protect himself from the cold. He built an igloo, but a shelter can only do so much when you’re wearing drenched pants. This is when Iqaluq—who is a prominent sculpture artist—came up with a creative way to use the fox he caught earlier in the day.
With a knife, he skinned the fox and wrapped the furry pelt around his legs, MacGyvering himself a pair of pants.

Although rudimentary, the garment kept him warm. Rescue searchers found Iqaluq the following morning around 5 a.m.

Unfortunately, while Iqaluq is now safe at home, his snowmobile and gear were lost in the water.

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